New York, NY (Top40 Charts) On July 20, 2018 Nebraska-bred and Nashville-based singer-songwriter Rachel Price spreads her musical wings with the release of her fittingly titled EP Something New. The six song set finds her embracing a fuller, more straightforward pop sound, while still delivering the rootsy authenticity that is the essence of her charm. Price's confident vocals propel each song forward with spirit, grace and honesty, as lyrically she considers her path in life and where it might lead. Overall, Price feels the thread connecting these tracks is the notion of artistic and personal growth.
Rachel started writing new material for the project at home in Nashville in late 2017, following the release of her last EP, Home. She and her guitarist Ben
Flanders - with whom she's collaborated for more than two years -also took a two week road trip through
Texas in November and did a series of co-writes with artists in various cities.
Of her alliance with
Flanders she says, "Musically, we have the same ideas and taste, and we really get along. We have long conversations and come up with ideas that make their way into the songs and, I think, gives them a feeling of being genuine." Something New was recorded in Nashville in January 2018 with Ben
Flanders producing.
The lead track, the tongue-in-cheek "Sunshine and Rainbows," was co-written in
Houston with
Wesley Nilsen mid-way through Price's
Texas journey. "Eventually," she says, "we got around to the idea of writing a sarcastic song, about how life isn't all, well, sunshine and rainbows. The first verse is true, then we had some fun with it, making the story better by exaggerating, and making things up."
The title track is a wistful ode to Price's hometown, O'Neill, Nebraska (Price first received acclaim for her music with her 2014 song "Little Nebraska Town," which ended up being part of The Nebraska Project, an initiative by the Nebraska Tourism Commission celebrating the people, places and stories that make the state great). In "Something New," she both looks back fondly at her unique small town upbringing and the memories she holds close - and embraces her decision to set out on her own, invite change, and discover broader realms. The song was co-written with Dallas-based Jude Dyllan.
"
Our Love" was co-written with Nashville-based Shane Stevens, who's written hits including Lady Antebellum's "American Honey." "I was in the process of ending a relationship when I wrote this," says Price, "and people were prying into what happened and why. I got frustrated with that. This song's about how our love is our love, and it's nobody else's - although people will say what they'll say." She delivers it with soul, torch, and an R&B vibe.
Price and
Flanders knew they wanted a ballad for the EP, and the lush "One Step" is it. The song came to life when they walked into Larry Crawford's studio in Frisco,
Texas and saw two pianos. "I thought, ooh this might be the day I write a ballad," Price recalls. Of the song itself she says, "It's about how sometimes you take on too much from friends, and the emotions take their toll on you as well - and you're one step from falling."
"Purgatory" came into being fresh off a ten-hour car ride. "Ben and I were having a deep conversation about where we want to go as young musicians, and how we want to have somebody special, but it's hard to maintain a relationship when you're never home, and you're meeting new people every night," she says. "We're stuck in that particular purgatory - but uncertainty breeds creativity." It was written in Magnolia,
Texas with Chris Chimene - whose solid marriage gave them hope for their own futures.
The closing song "Let It Pass" was written in Nashville with Chaise Flanders. It's an upbeat track with a carry on, embrace your imperfections philosophy. Price says, "It's about being okay with bad things happening, knowing you'll be fine with it someday."
The truth is, good things are happening for Rachel Price. Last year, when she released Home, she was working odd jobs and taking business courses - and dreaming of the day when she could pursue her music full time. This year, she started off with a two-month cross-country tour opening for the Austin-based duo The Wind and the Wave and has recently been on the road in support of her upcoming album. This summer, Something New will be released. Price's dreams are being realized as she welcomes growth and change, while staying true to herself and her music.
